MUSIC: Pianist Seda Roder to give lecture, 2 concerts

Pianist-composer Seda Roder: She's known for her visionary concert programs.

The Department of Music announced a lecture and a pair of concerts by Seda Röder, the pianist-composer whose artistic vision is to make music — old and new — more approachable to everyone.

Röder's lecture, "Pawn or Queen: The Role of the 'Performer' in 21st-Century Music," is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in 115 Music Building.

She gives her first performance, “A Sonic Journey of European Piano Music,” on Thursday, Nov. 15, as part of the free Shinkoskey Noon Concert series.

The next night, Nov. 16, in a ticketed event, she presents “Tales from the Silent Lands,” featuring works by John Cage and Morton Feldman, late-1900s composers known for experimenting with length, instrumentation, electronics and improvisation.

The Nov. 16 program also includes works by Röder, Lei Liang and Ken Ueno, each of them influenced and inspired by Cage’s works.

Tickets all events except the Shinkoskey Noon Concert and the Early Music Ensemble concert are available through the Mondavi Center box office: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or mondaviarts.org. Admission to the Shinkoskey Noon Concert is free; admission to the Early Music Ensemble’s concert is by suggested donations at the door: $12 adults, $6 students and children.